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Arnica cordifolia

Common name:	Heartleaf Arnica	Family:	Compositae
Author:	Hook.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The whole plant is toxic and should only be used for external applications to unbroken skin[172].
Range:	Western N. America - Alaska to New Mexico.
Habitat:	Woodlands in foothills up to high elevations in mountains[60].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. cordifolia ssp. genuina[B,P] A. cordifolia var. humilis[B,P] A. cordifolia var. pumila[B,P] A. cordifolia var. whitneyi[B,P] A. hardinae[B,P] A. humilis[B,P] A. paniculata[B,P] A. whitneyi[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arnica, Heart-leaved [S], Heart-leaf Leopardbane [B], Heart-leafed Arnica [S], Heartleaf Arnica [S,FEIS,H,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cordifolia = heart shaped leaves
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower in July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiecchymotic Antiphlogistic Nervine Salve Sternutatory Vulnerary.

The whole plant is antiecchymotic, antiphlogistic, nervine, sternutatory and vulnerary[172]. When applied intravenously or orally it causes a rise in body temperature[212].
All parts of the plant may be used[212], but the flowers are used in preference to the root[207, 212]. They have a discutient property and a tincture is used as an external application to swellings, sprains, bruises and wounds[207, 257]. A salve applied to cuts helps to keep down infections[212].

Other Uses

Hair.

This plant is used as a hair conditioner[172]. No further details are given.

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist, well-drained humus rich soil, preferably lime-free[200]. Prefers a mixture of sand, loam and peat[1].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame[200]. Only just cover the seed and make sure that the compost does not dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Illustration from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Arnica+cordifolia
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